Port Polska.KDP has been established within the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) and will be responsible for procuring rolling stock for Poland’s future high-speed rail services.
In a later phase, the trains will be leased to operators who will serve connections between Warsaw, Łódź, and the country’s new central airport.
The estimated value of the program to procure trains and maintenance facilities exceeds 2.37 billion euros (10.1 billion zlotys). According to CPK’s 2024–2032 Multi-Year Program, €408 million (1.74 billion zlotys) will come from bond issuances, and the remainder will be financed through equity and commercial financing instruments.
CPK, assisted by the consulting firm EY, has already begun the process of securing financing for the purchase of trains and the construction of maintenance depots, with an investment memorandum distributed to potential financial partners and capital market institutions.
“Within Port Polska, we are launching Port Polska.KDP, a company that will be able to lease trains to long-distance and regional transport operators. This is an important part of our strategy, but above all a practical response to the needs of operators, whom we want to help gain access to the most modern rolling stock without the long-term costs of acquisition and maintenance,” said Maciej Lasek, the government commissioner for the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny project.
Tenders for high-speed trains and Aero Express
Port Polska.KDP will operate as a ROSCO (Rolling Stock Operating Company), a model established in the railway leasing market in the United Kingdom and other Western European countries.
According to plans, the company will acquire trains in three categories:
- high-speed trains with operating speeds of at least 320 km/h, intended for connections between major urban centers;
- Aero Express – trains with speeds of at least 200 km/h, designed for passenger transport to the airport, on the Warsaw – new airport – Łódź route;
- Regio Express – trains with speeds of at least 200 km/h for regional and interregional services.
“Mid-month, we sent another request for information to manufacturers of passenger rolling stock. We want to get as complete a picture of the market as possible, including from Polish manufacturers, whom I hope to see involved in the two procurement procedures we are preparing. We intend to launch tenders for both categories of trains—HSR and AEX/RE—toward the end of this year,” said Piotr Rachwalski, a member of the CPK Board of Directors responsible for the railway sector.
The establishment of Port Polska.KDP is in line with European legislation and anticipates the liberalization of the Polish passenger rail transport market after 2030, following the implementation of the Fourth Railway Package. According to CPK, ROSCO-type companies can more easily obtain financing for the purchase of trains and benefit from more favorable credit terms than rail operators.
Unlike transport operators, a rolling stock leasing company does not depend on winning operating contracts, and the trains purchased can be used on a permanent basis by various rail operators.
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